President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are making dueling visits to the U.S.–Mexico border in Texas on Thursday. President Trump will head to the town of Eagle Pass, the focal point of a standoff between Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration. On the same day, President Biden will give remarks in Brownsville, about 300 miles away from Eagle Pass. Brownsville has seen a decline in illegal border crossings in recent months. The visits highlight the immigration crisis as a key issue in the 2024 presidential race.
Also in the Lone Star State, the Smokehouse Creek fire has grown to more than one million acres, making it the largest wildfire on record in the state. The fire was only 3 percent contained as of Thursday morning. So far, one death has been reported—an 83-year-old grandmother in the town of Stinnett.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin faced questions from Congress Thursday over the lack of transparency surrounding his hospitalization for prostate cancer treatment. The top Pentagon official said he never intended to keep his hospitalization a secret, but acknowledged he did not handle the situation correctly.